Ryanair is testing a system that streams video directly to passengers’ devices

When you’re on a long haul flight you kind of expect there to be some sort of in-flight entertainment, even if it’s just a projector and a set of headphones. Sadly when you fly budget those luxuries are usually scrapped to keep the costs down. That could soon be at an end.

Ryanair has announced that it is testing a brand new system that will allow passengers to stream films and TV directly to their own personal devices via an internal Wi-Fi network, negating the need for installing expensive entertainment systems. Sadly this network will not be able to connect to the internet.

Obviously Ryanair is infamous for attaching a bunch of extra fees on top of ticket prices, so it’s fantastic to hear that this use of system will be free of charge. Instead, according to Ryanair Chief Technology Officer John Hurley, the system will feature adverts that will change depending on the location that you’re flying to.

In-flight entertainment if often incredibly basic and glitchy, so the opportunity to have video streamed to your own device is a welcome move. Even if the video content itself is terrible, it should come with the added bonus of the plane having adequate facilities for device charging. Some planes already offer this, but a lot of them still don’t.

Trials are reportedly starting sometime this summer on select routes to Dublin, and if it’s well received it will be rolled out to the airlines’ 300 aircraft sometime next year. Let’s hope that the other airlines are going to follow suit.